Title: In
Author: Will McPhail
Rating: 4/5 stars

Author Will McPhail has done a commendable job in writing down such an amazing work. I find existential overtones on the work. The writing style, choice of words and especially the use of silence in the narrative for effect is absolutely brilliant. I highly recommend this work and give it 4 stars.

Happy Reading.

This is about Nick, who is only trying to connect, awkwardly and not up to the challenge. Wren is Nick's friend, a cancer doctor, with a factor of sex craziness. He has a sister and nephew, who only want a genuine connection to Nick and a mother with cancer.

The graphics are spot on. The artist creates a moodiness and reflect Nick's angst about life.

Good story, except, I did not really understand the ending. It seems Nick has slipped away and Wren is now the lonly figure walking about.

This was an ARC and now you can see the promised review.

I like that this graphic novel is subtle, soft, and sincere. The author's witty sense of humor will make you laugh out loud! And, the "coffee shop interludes" make for well-timed comic relief amongst a storyline of difficult emotions. The transition to color illustrations to emphasize transcendent moments within the main character's life is well-executed and really adds a punch of meaning.

I loved this book. It’s sweet and funny but also subtle. I will recommend this to adult friends that like graphic novels.

Since I picked up this book yesterday for the first time, I have read it two times already, and I plan to reread it again today. It touched me in a way I was not expecting it.
I don't read descriptions on principle, I like to be surprised when I start a book, so I didn't have any thoughts going in, only that the cover is interesting and I wanted to know what the title refers to. By the end, I felt hollow in the best way possible, in a way that only an amazing reading experience can make you feel.

This graphic novel is about how people become detached and self-centred in today's times when none of us is expected to really care about others, and every interaction seems like it's for show. The feelings of the main character, Nick, hit too close for home, especially when he realized the easiest way to connect with others is to be his true self, and reveal his real thoughts.

And I don't even know where to start with the style of this graphic novel. I loved the character designs and the page layouts, the silly coffee shops. The first time Nick connected with the plumber, and it changed from black&white to colours, I was mesmerized.

It was an amazing read and would recommend it to anyone who struggles with interacting with others and finds small talk absolutely useless. I can't wait for it to come out in May, so I can buy it and stare at some of the pages.

I couldn’t put this graphic novel down and finished it in one go. Beautifully illustrated. I liked the combination of simple grayscale line drawings and powerful colour illustrations, with the limited use of colour conveying meaningful moments

The book follows Nick, an illustrator feeling disconnected from the people around him and shows his attempts to make meaningful connections. The book looks at Nick’s relationships with his family, his romantic interest and the strangers he meets. This book is funny and moving.

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the Advanced Readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the cover that attracted me first, so simplistic and yet already full of meaning. I am so glad I read it, I really liked it. This is an apparently semi-autobiographical novel and I think a lot of us can relate to this story and especially to the main character. He is just a millennial, a person who wants to stop performing his life instead of truly living it. Nick and Wren made me laugh a lot and their journey was really interesting. I liked the drawings a lot, there were a lot of emotions in there, especially in the coloured pages that contained no dialogue, there was a lot of things expressed there. The art was very well used and conveyed a lot of ideas without having to write them down explicitly. If you read this graphic novel, I recommend you to observe every drawing because there is often a hidden joke that you’ll miss if you go too fast. This is a story that was made to be told through art. I absolutely recommend this book, especially to millennials of course as they will have an easier time identifying with the main characters, but also to everyone else.
5/5

A graphic novel that tries to have its cake and eat it, and pretty much succeeds. On the one side there is a cool, ironic distanced approach in a lot of the book, which is where the book is funniest. On the other hand is the need of the Nick, the main character, to find a real connection to other people, to be let in and to let in himself. Whenever this happens the world opens up to him, and the novel switches from a black, grey and white palet to full on colours.

We follow Nick, who is a cartoonist, as he tries to find a meaningful relationship, tries to find his place in life, and navigate his mother's illness.

The book is very funny, a dry kind of humour, that aches as much as it makes you laugh. The portion of the book that handles his mother's illness is really only introduced after you've met the mother a couple of times already, which is a smart decision. It is where the humour dissipates and real life hits.

Funny and moving. Not bad at all.

I like the premise of this book: a millenial guy who's kinda isolated, lonely and wants to connect with people - have real experiences and break through a numb malaise that modern life brings, particularly to his generation. That's great - I'm on board with that and looked forward to reading it. Except... he never really digs very deep into this aspect of the book. He tries to connect with some people, they exchange "real" talk briefly, and he moves on. The book then turns into this "mom has cancer" storyline and all the pieces kinda fall together predictably - they get to know each other, he connects more with his sister, and the girl he likes, blah blah blah. So disappointing that it had such potential and ended up being this forgettable and unremarkable book instead. I loved the art though - McPhail is a hugely talented cartoonist and I was so impressed with the cartooning. The painted art, signifying his "breakthroughs" to real feeling - WOW. Extraordinary. So gorgeous. Great art, decent writing but really weak story.

A perfect graphic novel for the millennial generation. After navigating his way through life without having "deep" interactions or connections with people, Nick suddenly shares his true feelings with a stranger and this open his eyes to a world of true human interaction and he begins to crave more. The rest of the novel follows him Nick through some funny and some sad experiences as he seeks a deeper human connection with family, friends, and strangers. This is a quick read that leaves the reader with a semblance of hope for Nick and his future.

I wasn't a total fan of the artwork (some of the facial expressions looked odd to me), but I did love the juxtaposition of the b/w and color illustrations.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Poignant graphic novel about interpersonal connections and a millenial's struggles with communication.

I waited a long time to read this book after picking it up because, honestly, I was anxious to read something hitting so close to home. During this difficult global time, I feel the lack of social connections very harshly. And in this book, the main character named Nick struggles to make interpersonal connections in his life, even though they are at hand's reach. Then, when Nick begins to put more effort in making more than superficial connections, things start to happen and he discovers new truths about himself.

I liked the story and the underlying exposition of human nature as much as the art work. When Nick finally connects with a person, the illustration change from balck and white to colorful. It was such a creative, interesting way of playing with color.

Frankly, this one was too short for me and I wished there was more at the end.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've said it before to my friend and I'll say it again: this book has no business being what it is. I mean, how dare you come into my house and spill out all the things I worry about right at my face? Rude, honestly.

IN tells the story of Nick, a young adult who probably needs some help, not only with his broken toilet. Talking to people isn't his forte, while avoiding awkward or difficult conversations certainly is. I suppose you could say he's also struggling with who he is, and the part he plays in the world. The story follows his daily life in a funny way, full of witty remarks and details, showing the reader his innermost turmoils and that soul-crushing sensation of when you don't have anything useful to contribute in a conversation.

I believe that the author was able to capture the feelings really well, and I recognized myself so much in parts of it. Honestly, I related so much that I was grateful for the fact that he managed to have a job. It gave me hope for myself (lmao).

One thing I thought was very special in this graphic novel were the drawings when Nick realizes that he isn't alone in his feelings, or when he is reaching a point in his human connection that he hasn't been able to before, or when he receives bad news. The change in style and the portrayal of what he feels through metaphoric imagery was a beautiful addition that was well tied up at the end.

I thought this was a pretty interesting book. Of course, I think it would be much more enjoyable in print form, but the story itself was intriguing and I enjoyed how McPhail portrayed the story through images. The mix of black-and-white with colour was different and elevated the story. Overall, I enjoyed reading it.

This was so lovely and so heart-breaking.
Nick is a wonderful protagonist; he’s awkward but funny and likable and compelling. He feels very real.
And Wren, omg Wren is who I want to be when I grow up – a wonderful character.

The story is told with economy, but each page has impact. And, there are some truly spectacular jokes mixed into this very poignant story and all are told in gorgeous artwork. The narrative (and aesthetic) use of color is so well done.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of In.

I wasn't sure what to expect from In; I enjoy graphic novels but they usual contain zombies, people running from zombies, violence and bloodshed, the supernatural or people killing zombies.

In's premise was intriguing and I'm pleased my request was approved.

In has a thoughtful premise about a young artist seeking a connection in our modern world filled with distractions, frustrations, and pretentious coffee shops.

At first, I found it difficult to get drawn into the story; I worried the tone was geared toward a younger crowd, millennial readers, but I found Nick to be a relatable character.

Nick is searching for a connection, a way to converse honestly and learn something about a person, whether it be his nephew, sister, mother, or the plumber, he's trying to do better with daily interactions because, let's face it, it's hard to connect, more so now in our plugged in world.

There are some funny moments; the way coffee shops are described (so true!), his sexy romps with Wren, and there are also the sad and tragic; loss, grief and sorrow.

The art is simplistic but works so well; Mr. McPhail conveys so much emotion and feeling from wide eyes and slack jawed expressions that I found myself either laughing out loud or nodding my head in agreement.

In is a thought provoking read that makes the reader consider his or her place in the world and how we are (dis)connected not just from nature, family and friends, but from ourselves.

It takes serious effort and discipline to connect with others, but also with yourself. Take that first step. And all the steps after. It's worth it. We're worth it.

I couldn't put this book down and read it in one sitting. Drawn with such a simplistic attention to detail, the brilliant artwork comes off looking easier than it could ever be in this story of Nick, who feels alienated to others and wants to be able to relate. There are some laugh out loud funny things in here, such as the night he has a bit of a romp with a woman after an impromptu date, as well as sad moments, and those that just make you think. Nick is a universal character that most of us can identify with. All the stars.

I've enjoyed McPhail's illustrations in The New Yorker before so was intrigued when I saw he was releasing a graphic novel. <i>In</i> makes for a poignant read, focusing on finding connection in our day to day interactions with each other through a semi-autobiographical lens. Touching on grief, love and dating, this had a deep impact even with a relatively short page count.

The illustrations were beautiful, and I can only imagine this would be better in hard copy form. Recommended!

In this Graphic Novel, Will McPhail perfectly illustrates the difficulty of finding meaningful connections in our daily lives. The main character Nick weaves in and out of coffee shops and bars providing a window into the life of a Millennial trying to discover himself through the interactions with others. My favorite part is the discussions Nick has with his Plumber which are oddly profound. This book experiments with the contrast between black and white images and color images to emphasize important discoveries which is a new experience for me. Will captured the facial expressions of the characters so perfectly I could not see this book as being in any other form than the Graphic Novel. When I finished this book, I felt that I had gone down the water slide along with Nick and pushed about the bowl of life to come out the other end dazed and confused but at the same time uplifted. The images from this book are exquisite and will stay with me long after I have finished reading this masterpiece.

this started of by making me laugh with all it's sarcasm and millennial humor. then it made me feel seen, that way we all want to connect but have no idea how to do it these days. and it ended up making me cry, i wasn't expecting the story to take such a deep and emotional turn. but it was great. i really like the at style, specially the color pages.

This graphic novel managed to make me feel very empty inside though there were plenty of scenes that made me laugh out loud. The art style is very interesting and fitting. In the beginning, I wasn't sure where the plot was going but it seems to tell more than one story and I like that. The characters and their relationships to one another are really well done as well, perhaps that is even one of my favourite things.

Everything that happened seemed to make sense and/or well thought out and it's a story that goes deep. Good read!